


Dime

by justasp0rk



Series: Reddie Oneshots [5]
Category: IT - Stephen King
Genre: Angst, Blood and Gore, Eddie Kaspbrak Loves Richie Tozier, Gay Eddie Kaspbrak, M/M, Mild Gore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-18
Updated: 2019-10-18
Packaged: 2020-12-22 14:00:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21077951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justasp0rk/pseuds/justasp0rk
Summary: 'In world war two, when Jews and others were sent to concentration camps, they would be given patches to indicate what was wrong with them by the Nazis standards.'Balance, balance, balance…'The Jews, of course, were given a star of David to wear. The upside down triangle would be colored based on criteria that the Nazis had, non Jews simply just getting an upside down triangle. Red for political enemy,'Balance, balance, balance.'Purple for foreigners,'Eddie felt his eyes sting with unshed tears.'And a pink upside down triangle for homosexuals.'OR: What happened after Eddie's first encounter with IT.





	Dime

**Author's Note:**

> I'd just like to say: I'm so sorry and this has no fluff in it at all.

Eddie carefully stepped over the small stones that were laid across the river down in the Barrens, the forced balance making his limbs finally stop shaking. He wasn't sure what he saw, back at the Nielbolt house, he didn't even know if that person- that  _ leper _ \- could even be considered alive in the state that it was in. 

And the clown…

Cold water splashed on his ankle, tearing Eddie out of his thoughts as he furrowed his brows at the rocks beneath him. Balance, balance, balance… 

' _ In world war two, when Jews and others were sent to concentration camps, they would be given patches to indicate what was wrong with them by the Nazis standards.' _

Balance, balance, balance…

' _ The Jews, of course, were given a star of David to wear. The upside down triangle would be colored based on criteria that the Nazis had, non Jews simply just getting an upside down triangle. Red for political enemy,' _

Balance, balance,  _ balance. _

' _ Purple for foreigners,' _

Eddie felt his eyes sting with unshed tears.

' _ And a pink upside down triangle for homosexuals.' _

He felt his foot slip on a patch of moss, falling into the stream with a high pitched yelp. Eddie quickly stood back up, stumbling over his feet and laces as he rushed back to shore, shaking hands shoving his inhaler into his mouth. That's what they were learning the final few days of school, that's what the teacher was talking about, and the clown… the clown…

Eddie puffed the medicine into his lungs, taking in a heaving breath as he collapsed on the dying grass. It didn't mean anything,  _ it didn't mean anything. _ Eddie was just seeing things because of his new pills, that's all it was, he just hadn't adjusted to the medication yet.

Still, he felt hot tears roll down his cheeks and drop onto the grass, nose scrunched as he sniffled. Eddie wasn't sick, his mom was trying to hard to keep him a healthy boy, he wasn't sick.

"Eds?" 

Eddie shot back up on his feet, quickly wiping away the tears on his face with his forearm, pretending to be exceedingly interested in the trees. If he saw a bird, he could tell Stan, it would be easy to say he was just trying to help Stan, make him feel better after he seemed so shaky the other day.

A hand landed on Eddie's shoulder, and, although expected, still made him jump. He turned and was greeted with his smiling, bucked toothed friend with glasses that were all too blocky and eyes that were a little too big. Richie took in Eddie's appearance, tapping his wet shirt with a laugh.

"Grey water, my good sir!" He called out, his British Guy voice in full effect. "Why, I can't believe I've found master Kaspbrak wondering in the Barrens all by his lonesome, let alone splashing in that  _ blasted  _ grey water!" Richie lifted Eddie's arms, absentmindedly looking for scrapes and bruises as he talked. Falling into habit. "The stream itself  _ reeks  _ of the anal proceedings of Derrys residents-"

"Beep beep, Richie," Eddie snapped, feeling a little woozy. "The stream is all freshwater, fuck off with your bullshit!" He tore his arm away from Richie, glaring at him, but he was honestly glad that the boy stopped by. Eddie wasn't sure he wanted to be alone. 

"You kiss your mother with that mouth?" Richie snapped back, grinning. "I mean, I  _ personally  _ know she loves a filthy mouth, Eds, but how did you know that?" Eddie gagged, shoving Richie away from him.

"Don't talk about my mommy like that!" Eddie crossed his arms, frowning at Richie. "What the fuck do you want?" 

Richie's expression turned somber. "Felt lonely in the house, came down here and found you," He winked. "My favorite pasta."

Eddie ignored the way his cheeks warmed at the stupid nickname. He didn't want to think about that right now, not after what happened. "Didn't mean you had to bother  _ me. _ "

"But you were here!" Richie threw his arms around Eddie, lifting him into the air as the boy kicked and yelled in protest. "Why wouldn't I bother you, my love? It's the thing I'm best at!"

"The thing you're best at is running your fucking mouth!" Eddie hit Richie's back repeatedly, hating the fact he was biting back a smile, that he wanted to lightly giggle at the shenanigans. "Put me down!"

Richie shrugged, laughing loudly. "Okay!"

Eddie yelped as Richie dropped him without warning, landing harshly on the grass. He sat up, shaking the leaves out of his hair as he stuck his tongue out at Richie. 

"You suck!"

Richie snickered, eyes flashing with something Eddie didn't quite recognize. "For a dime? Sure."

Eddie felt his stomach drop, about to open his mouth to question Richie before he felt a hand in his hair, gently ruffling it around. His foul mouthed friend sat down in front of him, wide smile showing off his infamous bucked teeth. The edges of Richie's eyes were crinkled while he lightly laughed, freckles on his nose scrunched with his ears tinged red. Eddie relaxed almost immediately, giggling at himself for being so stupid. Richie said shit like that all the time, sexual innuendos, it was just a coincidence. He didn't know.

"Lighten up, Eds, the R man is here!" Richie pinched Eddie's cheek, earning himself a slap to the hand as Eddie tried to calm his fit of giggles.

"Shut up, beep beep, zip it!" Eddie called, flicking Richie's nose. The boy recoiled with an amused look of surprise, lightly tapping where Eddie's fingernails had hit. That did  _ not  _ help with his laughter, thank you very much.

"I've been blessed," Richie whispered in awe, looking back at Eddie with wide eyes. "Pasta has blessed me." 

Eddie rolled his eyes, mumbling yet another ' _ beep beep _ ' at Rich. A part of him knew it was odd, that Richie hadn't stopped talking after the phrase had been uttered, but some days he was just extremely chatty. Nothing could really be done because of it, it was just Richie being Richie.

The two both laughed among themselves, Eddie feeling light, thoughts far away from what he saw at the Nielbolt house. Richie calmed down before Eddie did, surprisingly, staring at him with a small smile and  _ something  _ in his eyes that made Eddie's chest feel just that much more tight. Not in a bad way, like how his asthma made him feel, but in a… warm way. It was a warm feeling, it was good. Eddie startled a bit when Richie grabbed his hand, lips set in a tight line.

"Eds?" He sounded reluctant. Scared. Eddie squeezed his hand, a little gesture that was always nice between the two. The sudden shift in atmosphere made his laughter disappear in an instant, able to tell that Richie- for once- wasn't joking around.

"Yeah, Rich?" 

Richie picked at the dry grass with his free hand, refusing to meet Eddie's eyes. "Is it bad to… like…" He curled in on himself ever so slightly. "Boys?"

Eddie blanked, his heartbeat quickening in his chest as he stared at his best friend. "Erm…"

His mommy had always said bad things about boys who like boys, or girls who liked girls, but… his mommy also said Richie was a bad friend. Not everything she said was true, he didn't have to listen just because she said it.

"Why?"

Settling for a question wasn't a bad thing. If Richie was trying to tell him something, Eddie wanted to have the right response.

"Because I think…" Richie took a deep breath. "I think I might… like boys…" He looked up at Eddie, brown eyes panicked. "Am I sick, Eddie? Do you- Do you think the Losers will hate me? Am I-" Richie was shaking at this point. "Am I sick?"

Eddie grabbed Richie's other hand, squeezing them both as he adamantly shook his head. "No, no, you're not sick, you're not." He reassured, dropping one of Richie's hands in favor of cupping his cheek with the best smile he could muster. "You're my best friend, you tell shitty jokes, and you make everyone laugh. Who…" Eddie glanced down at their joined hands, suddenly hyper aware of how their skin felt against each other, how warm Richie's hands were, how muggy the summertime air was. 

How fast his heart was beating.

"Who cares if you like boys?" Eddie finished, looking sheepishly back up at Richie. His friend was red in the face, glasses askew on his nose.

"Hey, Eddie?" Richie's voice was much softer now, the boy leaning closer to Eddie.

"Yeah, Rich?" Eddie whispered, excitement and adrenaline and fear all coursing through him. Was he really going to…? Were they actually…?

Richie's lips ghosted over Eddie's, almost a promise of a kiss, a promise of what every older boy talked about at school, talked about how  _ amazing  _ it was. But it was just a promise, one Eddie couldn't find himself to lean just an inch closer to. 

He heard Richie mumble something, Eddie's eyes fluttering open.

"Huh?" His brain was foggy, everything moving slowly. But in this moment? Well, that wasn't a bad thing at all, Eddie thought he could sit here with Richie for hours at a time with how he felt.

"For a dime," Richie repeated, voice barely above a murmur. "Gotta give me a dime, Eds." 

Eddie's brows scrunched in confusion, hand falling from Richie's face. "What do you…?" His heart leaping into his throat, Eddie scrambled backwards, back hitting the rough bark of a tree. Richie was smiling at him, his teeth crooked and eyes sunken in.

"A dime, Eds," Richie said again, slowly crawling toward Eddie. "I'll do it for a dime, I'll do  _ anything you want  _ for a dime."

Eddie felt a sob catch in his throat, hundreds- no,  _ thousands-  _ of balloons rising from the stream behind Richie, blotting out the sun and sky. Richie smelled absolutely  _ foul _ , like rotten flesh and spoilt eggs and  _ death.  _ How did he not notice that before?

"Don't you know what happens to boys like us, Eddie?" Drool started to drip from Richie's almost nonexistent lips, nothing but skin separating his teeth now from the summer breeze. "Don't you know what happens to boys like  _ you _ ?"

Slowly, a small set of pink balloons floated in front of the red, what was just a jumble of them randomly spread combining into a triangle.

An upside down triangle.

Eddie felt a scream ripped from his throat, Richie now charging at him in awful, jerky motions. He scrambled to his feet, the splintered wood of the tree digging into his back and catching on his fanny pack as he lurched to the side to run. Without and hesitation, Eddie unbuckled the damned thing, bolting into the woods of the Barrens as he heard Richie laugh maniacally behind him. 

" _ DO YOU KNOW, EDDIE? DO YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENS? _ "

The voice was becoming more and more raspy as he talked, the sounds of leaves and sticks snapping only making Eddie sob harder. He was too fast, he was  _ too fucking fast. _ There was no way Eddie could outrun him, his lungs were too weak, his legs were so skinny and he was so  _ small _ , so  _ delicate _ .

Eddie felt the sole of his shoe glide over one of the rocks that he tried to race over, the moss barely peeking through the leaves on the forest floor. He screamed when he fell, the sound echoing throughout the entirety of the Barrens, hitting his head  _ hard  _ as he splayed out on his back. Eddie choked on his sobs, snot and tears running down his face as he tried desperately to get up, shaking too much to be able to do much of anything. The inhumanely fast crunch of the leaves stopped just behind him, heavy breathing leaving precipitation on his neck. 

" _ Sick, sick boy." _ A different voice chimed, the voice of the clown. 

Eddie couldn't help it, he threw up. He threw up while shaking violently and with laughter ringing in his ears, not sure if it grew more distant from his slipping consciousness, or if it was actually leaving him alone. He prayed it was leaving him alone, he prayed that this was all his new medication, and that it was nothing more.

But before the darkness completely involved his vision?

Eddie prayed he wasn't sick.

When Eddie opened his eyes to the sound of distant chatter hours later, he was laid next to a pool of his own vomit, blood dripping between his eyes as he stared up at the blessedly blue sky. He nearly began to cry again just at the sight of it, laughter bubbling in his chest. He was  _ alive.  _ He was fucking  _ alive _ ! 

Eddie began to tell the Losers of his crush on Greta later that week, all smiles and faint blushes and a sickly,  _ wrong _ feeling in his stomach.

Eddie began to lock the window to his room, too, dealing with his fear of the dark on his own, calming himself down when the nightmares woke him. 

…

He wasn't very good at it.

**Author's Note:**

> If people like this maybe I'll start posting more (happier) reddie one shots? Maybe??


End file.
